


Houki, My Rival!

by MegaWallflower



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Genre: Anxious Metal Lee, Comedy, Grave visits, Heart-to-Heart, Hero Worship, M/M, POV Metal Lee, Parallels, Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 10:40:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20834102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaWallflower/pseuds/MegaWallflower
Summary: Somewhat reluctantly, Metal Lee gets a rival.





	Houki, My Rival!

“Metal Lee! Be my rival!”

Those were the first words Houki ever said to Metal. A hurried, panted grunt from a strange masked boy who had rushed over to see him so quickly that he was still loudly trying to catch his breath.

He’d appeared out of nowhere, like a whirlwind of black and blue and brown. Strands of his hair were plastered to his forehead, slick and shiny with sweat. His jacket was awkwardly disheveled and crooked. His single visible eye narrowed in scrutiny.

He looked like a mess. A terrifying, possibly angry mess.

Metal didn’t have time to ask his name.

He was too busy running away.

* * *

Their second meeting was a little longer, unfortunately.

“Metal Lee! Metal! I know you’re here! Meeeetaaaal!”

The kid was sprawled over Metal’s desk, and Metal was huddled underneath with his hands clasped over his mouth. If he had more time, maybe he could have found a much more shinobi-like way to hide. Maybe he could even have concealed his chakra, or suppressed his presence, or silenced his breathing, like his papa could.

Metal was far from an expert shinobi, though. He wasn’t even a genin yet.

He was just a student trapped in a classroom. An anxious student who was shaking so much that he dropped his pen, which hit the floor with a booming smack and rolled out of reach. An anxious, dumb student, who thought that maybe if he was fast enough, he could reach over and get it back without being noticed.

When he tentatively peeked out, that masked boy was already peering down at him. “—Metal Lee!” Messy brown hair hung wildly as the boy’s head popped out from above. “Challenge me!”

Metal startled backwards so quickly that he banged his head against the desk hard. With a bit of quick thinking, he pretended it knocked him out and hoped that playing possum would buy him some time. It worked, somehow. He could hear the masked boy climb down from the desk and pace around, fretting over where Shino-sensei was and worrying that he’d killed Metal somehow.

That small opening was all Metal needed to run away again.

* * *

The third time they met was during lunch.

A bento box filled to the brim with something roasted was shoved in Metal’s face. The burnt smell of clumsy, earnest home cooking wafted over him as he was forcefully presented with the “gift.”

Metal grimaced. He’d thought for sure that hiding under the tree would work. This kid was really crafty.

“Here! It’s eggplant!” Houki demanded. The diced pieces of food in that box looked a little too crispy and browned to be eggplants. “I’ll give you this, so just listen to me!”

Metal leaned back as Houki leaned closer and closer in. Personal space was becoming a rare, precious resource. “I—I don’t—” He spoke in short, breathless huffs. Metal tried not to look as scared and panicked as he was, even though he was sweating and shivering so much that Houki could probably hear his teeth clattering together.

“You don't like eggplant?” Now he sounded accusatory.

“I…I like…”

Even closer now. Metal was belatedly happy there was only one eye for him to avoid making contact with. "Eggplant is the best food in the world! Have you even tried it before?" Metal just stared at the boy as he kept up this intense, non-consensual staring contest. "You eat it! Like this! Here, I’ll show you! Nomnomnom!" Houki made sound effects as he pretended to eat, apparently unwilling to actually move his mask. Metal shuttered at the thought of whatever he was hiding behind that thing.

“I, um…” Metal could feel the rough tree bark press against his back. He inched around the side of the tree, but Houki followed him incessantly. Backwards and to the sides were both dead ends. Only one option left. “—I’ll practice eating so I can do that! Thank you for the tips!”

“Huh?”

Metal hurriedly scrambled up the tree in an awkward backwards climb, somehow managing to find his footing on a sturdy branch.

“Ah!” Houki gawked. “–You’re fast—Hey, wait!”

Metal finally managed to hop from branch to branch as gracefully and quickly as his father could. He didn’t fall once. Which was good, because from the sound of Houki’s voice, he was getting faster, lately too. Metal turned his head to spot the boy chasing after him, brown hair flying behind him and blue jacket fluttering in the wind.

Metal hated to sound like the unmotivated, harsh Shikadai for even a second, but he couldn’t help but think…

_This was really troublesome!_

* * *

Metal had lost track now.

He pressed himself to the wall, stuck between a rock and a hard place. After over a dozen attempts, Houki had finally done it. Metal was officially cornered. There was just no discouraging him or escaping from him. In fact, even though Metal couldn’t see his mouth, he could hear the glee in his voice, like this was a game to him and he was having a lot of fun at the prospect of eventually winning.

Houki’s jacket flapped in the wind as he struck a dramatic pose. “I’m Houki! Houki Taketori!” Metal had figured out his name by now, actually, but it seemed like a bad time to mention that. “I’m your future rival! So —challenge me!”

Metal was still too flustered to say anything longer than a stutter or a single syllable, but that didn’t stop Houki from filling the silence on his own. “It’s easy!” His hand impulsively grabbed Metal’s arm, cutting off Metal’s already shaky train of thought.

Houki’s grip wasn’t very tight, and he didn’t seem very strong, but Metal still shrunk in on himself timidly. “Uhm…”

“You don’t even have to do anything hard! Just challenge me! Ask me to be your rival!” he commanded. “Because, I—Oh! I know! Look at this,” Houki stuffed his hands into his pockets and searched around for something. Whatever he was looking for in there, all he managed to do was accidentally drop a smoke ball and some paper clips from the pocket.

The sphere broke into wispy tendrils of slowly dissipating smoke, reducing both boys into coughing messes.

This was his chance, though. Metal held up his hand in a tiger seal and performed his very first successful body flicker.

* * *

Metal heaved out a heavy sigh. He was physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted.

“You seem troubled lately, Metal. Is there something on your mind?” Lee asked as he kept practicing kata with his son.

They were supposed to be having fun. Spending time with his papa in the park and making the most of their youth with vigorous, structured exercise was the most fun thing they did together. Metal hated to drag the mood down more than he already usually did. He was just so much more skittish than his father, it was embarrassing. He stretched and balanced and tried to match his father in poise and strength, since he couldn’t hope to match him in character anytime soon. “Um… I… A little bit,” he admitted.

Lee chuckled sympathetically. “Is being in the academy tiring you out? I know it was a big change. But the fact that you were accepted is proof that you have potential! Give it time, and it will feel more natural.”

“No, that’s not—I’m strong already! I can handle ninja academy!” Metal let out a grunt of discomfort and twisted his body, moving through the next kata. “Well, Papa… At the academy, there’s this boy…”

Whatever he was going to say was cut off by a shout of, “Metal! Metal Lee!” He’d gotten very good at recognizing that voice at a distance.

Metal ran and hid behind his father, clutching his jumpsuit. “Papa, I’m not here, okay?!” He whisper-shouted. He managed to blend in between his father’s green suit and the leaves of the foliage around them, so he could safely lay low and listen until the sound of footsteps disappeared.

With an audible slump, Metal plopped onto the ground and sighed in relief.

“That boy?” Lee frowned and folded his arms across his chest. “Are you being bullied, Metal? What did he say to you?”

Metal finally looked back up into his father’s face, so filled with concern and empathy. A heavy pang of guilt struck his heart. At times like this, his anxieties always felt so trivial, because his father seemed so strong that he was probably never shaken up or scared of anything, especially not little things like this.

“No! I mean, no, that’s not it! I’m not—He’s not a bully! He’s just… But I just… He’s… scary…” Metal shyly stuttered out. “He keeps… saying I’m… his r-rival… or something…”

“A rival…?” His face crinkled in thought, brows knitted together and mouth pressed into a thin, pensive pout. “A rival…” He glanced towards direction that Houki had disappeared to. Then, he grabbed Metal by the shoulders and shook him excitedly. “Metal! That is amazing! I am so happy for you! Your very own rival! Congratulations!”

Metal felt like his brain was rattled as much as his teeth. “W-w-what?”

“I had a rival, too, when I was younger!” Without a chance to respond, Metal was lifted up in Lee’s arms and held high enough for him and his dad to make eye contact. “We will take a break from training for now! We should have a talk!”

Metal could only answer with a disoriented gasp, “O-okay?” His hands grabbed onto Lee’s biceps to try to hold himself in place. He had no idea what Lee’s sudden excitement was all about, especially together with the sudden solemnity of Lee’s gaze. Metal’s heart thudded inside his chest, counting out the seconds as he waited for his dad to explain.

Lee pulled Metal closer, shifting into a more stable hold so Metal could grab onto Lee’s scarf and sit on his arm. “Do you remember everything I told you about Neji?”

Metal nodded, feeling bad that he couldn’t quite match his father’s enthusiasm here, having never met the man himself. He tried, though. “Yeah! Your old teammate! Your best friend! The genius prodigy war hero!”

“And my rival,” Lee amended.

It somehow wasn't what Metal was expecting. “…Oh. And—and your rival?” Metal weakly agreed. He couldn’t remember if that had slipped his mind or if his papa hadn’t mentioned it a lot before.

Lee carried Metal in a familiar direction. Metal enjoyed the comfortable feeling of riding in his papa’s arms, even if it was a mostly silent walk where Lee spent most of his time staring off into space. Metal grinned when they arrived at Tenten’s weapon shop.

“We’re visiting Tenten on our break?” Metal asked, hopping down to his feet.

Lee shook his head. “I just need to talk to her for a second. She will meet up with us a bit later. Can you wait out here for me, Metal?”

He nodded mutely and obediently leaned against the wall while Lee went in by himself. After a few minutes of waiting, Metal peeked into the window, ducking back down when he noticed Tenten glance his way.

“Little Lee!” Tenten called as she flung open the door a few seconds later. Metal’s joy mirrored hers –he always loved visiting Tenten. They flashed each other a smile and a Nice Guy Pose. “Good to see you again! You got taller! Gimme just a second, okay?” And then she vanished in a puff of smoke.

Lee came out soon after, locking up her shop for her.

“All done?”

He nodded, still oddly subdued. “Almost. Come on, there is one more stop on our break!”

After that, Lee’s feet led them into the cemetery. The large trees cast their long shadows over the tombstones, and Metal clung to Lee’s leg as they walked past the cold, lifeless stones. Lee followed the path from memory, barely even having to look at his surroundings before coming to the grave they were there to see. Lee liked to move forward and not visit here too often, and it showed in his hesitance, but he still knew where to find his old rival.

“Lee! Little Lee! I got them!” Tenten was back already, running over and proudly waving a sunflower as tall as Metal in their direction. The sunflower looked just as out of place as she did here, cheerful and bright and pretty and imposing in a graveyard.

Lee grinned and held up a thumb in her direction. “You are as swift as always, Tenten! Did Guy-sensei let you pick out a good one?”

“Bah! Those two weren’t home! Probably off soaking in a hot spring again like the dumb old couple they are! Kakashi-sensei’s making Guy-sensei as lazy as him lately! I knew he’d be a bad influence!” She fake-complained, unable to even fake a frown. Tenten was so amusing, she could even make the atmosphere feel lighter in a graveyard. With a playful wink, she added, “But I didn’t steal it! I asked Mr. Ukki, and he gave me the okay! If Kakashi-sensei asks, that’s my answer!”

“Mr. Ukki?” Metal tilted his head curiously. “Kakashi-sensei’s plant? But how did…”

“Shh!” Tenten hushed Metal, reaching over to ruffle his hair and make him giggle. “Don’t worry about the details, okay, little Lee?”

Tenten’s confidence was so triumphant, neither Metal nor Lee could even imagine arguing with it.

She knelt down, placing the bright golden flower on the cold grey slab. “Besides, the sunflowers are for Neji, anyway. That’s why Guy-sensei grows them. They were always his favorite. Sunflowers and sparrows.” It was unusual for Tenten to be so nostalgic and reverent.

Metal stared down at the gravestone for his father’s old best friend, for Tenten’s old teammate. In front of the grave, Metal put his hands together in a steeple and bowed stiffly, trying to match Tenten’s tone. “Neji…”

But then Tenten chuckled and patted the grave the same way she’d pat Lee’s shoulder or Kakashi’s back. “Neji, we’re back! Long time, no talk, huh? Are you still flying free up there? You better be! I’ll be so mad if you left me behind with these two for nothing! When I see you again, you better have tons of great new things to tell me, and you better smile, or I’ll dust off those legendary ninja tools I have!”

It was such a surprising turnabout, Metal’s eyes snapped up to hers in distant surprise, a confused, uncertain laugh coming from his lips. He was thrown off all over again. That was… a joke, right? It was getting harder and harder for Metal to figure out what kind of person Neji was. “Tenten is so youthful and energetic! Neji would be happy, I think! Right, Papa?”

Lee didn’t answer, if he even heard Metal at all.

Instead, he silently squatted down at the stone, ran his hand over the weathered limestone engraving of Neji’s name. “Neji…” Lee told the stone, fingers rubbing over the crevices in the surface. He whispered something Metal couldn’t quite decipher, like a secret, like a promise.

The stone didn’t answer. Its silence pressed down on all three of them.

“Papa...?” Metal tried again.

Tenten stood up and laid a hand on Lee’s shoulder comfortingly. Metal had never seen Lee like this; it was unsettling. He always had a smile on his face and laughter in his voice when he talked about the good old days with his team and how cool and clever Neji always was; he was always full of pride and joy when he showed Metal and new move that he’d perfected in his youthful clashes against Neji.

Now, he wasn’t. He was sad and hurt and trembling.

“Papa?” Metal repeated, much softer this time.

Lee’s cheeks were glistening, and he tried to hide it by scrubbing away the tears, but it was too late. Metal had seen everything. Papa cried all the time, but not in a silent, heartbroken way like this.

“Papa…?”

Lee clasped his hands together, looking down at the tombstone in deep reminisce. The memories swirled around his head and pooled in his heart, making his chest clench. The three of them fell quiet for a few minutes, once Metal finally decided that no amount of prompting would get Lee to answer him.

Finally, Lee broke the silence himself. “…Neji and I were rivals,” he said again, sounding uncharacteristically defeated.

Metal blinked, then straightened up, then nodded. “Mm-hm! Rivals!”

“To me, Neji was someone special. And someone who made me feel special to him. Like I was the one who could beat him. And he was the one who could push me to become the man who could beat him. It was not just about being just _anyone_ who could beat him, or about him being just anyone who could beat me. It was…” He trailed off. How could he put it? He took a deep breath and tried again.

“Neji was my dear, dear friend! We were each other’s benchmarks for success to measure ourselves by! It was not about proving our perfection by standing above the other. It was about the fact that when we were together, something already felt perfect in all our imperfections. Something deeper and more motivating than friendship. It made it harder to ever give up, because we never suffered alone and never grew alone. I failed a lot. And Neji did too, in different ways. Anytime one of us fell, the other was there to hold out of hand and gently nudge him in the right direction with a compliment or a jab. And anytime one of us rose above something that held us down…”

Lee’s hands gently poked at the sunflower on the grave, playing with the petals ever so slightly. Not wanting to harm Neji’s precious flower, he tried to be as careful as he possibly could. It was rare to see his dad be the one with so much anxious, restless energy.

“Each time I got back up to continue the fight, Neji smirked. And one day, when I finally beat him in fight…”

Lee looked up at the rosy sky, serene and content, and the sadness in his voice was finally gone. Metal wanted to reach out and give him a hug, but he was frozen in place.

“Neji was smiling so brightly. It had never seen Neji with a smile like the one he had then. There was not a hint of sorrow or pity to that smile. Instead, he laughed, and he looked so happy to lose to me. He said he would try harder to win next time, and that he always knew his rival was someone he could have pride in. He said he had pride in himself because I saw him as my rival.”

Surprise enveloped Lee as Tenten’s warm arms enclosed around him, in an embrace that was both gentle yet strong.

Yet again, Metal could only stare at those two in awe.

Pro shinobi really were strong.

“…Neji felt the same way about you, Lee. I promise,” Tenten chimed in. “Neji told me himself once, while you were still in the hospital. I remember it word-for-word. Let’s see…” According to the impression that followed, apparently Lee had a very deep, sort of monotone voice. “‘I like Lee’s technique and his style. When I first saw him, I looked down on him. I thought he was annoying and hopeless. But I didn’t hate him. I was fond enough of the little freak that I didn’t want to watch him set himself up for obvious failure. I was trying to give him a push in the right direction, but before I realized it, Lee was the one pulling me up. Ever since he became part of my life, I’ve found my thoughts scattered, disconnected, warped… I’ve been a mess. But I’ve been having so much more fun now than when I was just doing the exercises my clan told to me to do. I… I’m not sure what I’m trying to say. But this won’t be the end of him. It can’t be. Otherwise, that would just prove I was right to begin with. And Lee has already showed me that I was wrong.’”

“He told you that?”

Tenten nodded. “I think he was trying to reassure me since we were both so worried about your surgery. He could be really sweet sometimes, you know.”

“I agree. Neji was always so thoughtful…” Lee eased into her hug and his smile softened. “The thought of growing stronger together with Neji always made my heart race. That is what a good rivalry can be, Metal!” Metal jolted in surprise when Lee addressed him directly. He had almost thought they had forgotten he was there. “I will never forget the loving rivalry Neji and I shared. Neji is gone now, but our time together and rivalry is still one of my most precious treasures.”

“Papa…” Metal whispered again.

The somber, nostalgic papa that Metal hardly recognized was gone in an instant, and he was back to himself, back to an optimistic papa clapping a hand affectionately on Metal shoulder, laughing, ignoring the concerned frown beneath Metal’s straight black bangs. “Well, Metal, all I am saying is… Rivalry can be a truly beautiful thing! Your papa will be very, very happy if you can find a friendship and rivalry that enriches your life, too!”

Metal wanted to be happy that his papa was looking at him with so much belief in his eyes. “But I… I’m not really as strong or confident as you are though. And Neji…”

“Having a rival will make you stronger!” Lee finally flashed a proper Nice Guy Pose, and just that was enough to fill Metal with some level of bravery. “And the confidence you’ll find when you have a true companion to measure yourself against will be amazing!”

“A rival worked for Lee, and for Guy-sensei, too,” Tenten interjected, rolling her eyes. “If you want one, too, you should have one. If you don’t, there are other ways to grow, of course. I did just fine.”

“Yes, exactly! Forging your own path and building the bonds you want are important parts of youth.” Lee held Metal’s little hands, taking them between both of his palms in something like a shake. Metal glanced down at where calloused, bandaged fingers squeezed just a bit too tightly. He didn’t pull his hands out of the grasp –there was always something warm and comforting about the reminders of how hard his father worked to get where he was. There was always something cool about it.

Did Neji’s hands feel like this, too?

“What is important is, when a moment presents itself, you should take it! Just like Neji, be willing to give your all to try and live a life with no regrets. Alright?”

A smile shined on Lee’s face, and a newfound confidence flowed through Metal’s veins— the kind only hope could inspire. Because he hoped, one day, to have hands this experienced, and he hoped, one day, to have eyes that shone like that when he talked about his own best friend and rival. “…Papa!”

“Yes, Metal?”

Metal’s gaze settled on Lee’s face, looking him in the eyes with unflinching determination. “I have to go! There’s someone I have to talk to! Can we finish training another time?”

Lee answered with an enthusiastic nod, and that was all the encouragement Metal needed. He turned on his heel and started sprinting away. And in case he needed even more extra encouragement, he could hear their voices call out:

“Good luck, Metal!”

“You go get ‘em, little Lee!”

Very quickly, Metal answered, “Thank you, Papa! Thank you, Tenten!”

* * *

Konoha was a huge place, and Metal was more used to navigating its forests than its crowds.

It was a place that was always growing and changing and only half-done in some small ways. Still, he expertly maneuvered around the buildings and the shopping centers and the sidewalks and the parks, past slabs of concrete, piles of scattered clay tiles, and thick, twisted trunks of newly sprouted vine. 

The wind whipped his hair and his scarf in his face, but Metal didn’t mind. If anything, it was a comforting sensation. Black, glossy strands dancing wild to speeds dictated by Metal as he urged his legs to go fast, faster. He didn’t have Houki’s brazen sort of confidence that would let him shout out his name throughout the village, but he had speed, and he’d make that work!

While Metal ran through the familiar streets of a familiar village, he realized how much he’d overlooked before. He’d never noticed how many rivals were here before, but now he couldn’t stop noticing.

He spotted Ino and Sakura through the window of one of the clothing shops, wearing the same flowery dresses and arguing about who wore it better and who would have to put it back on the rack. After a moment, glares turned to laughter and they switched to just admiring the graceful curve of each other’s white-clad backs and twirling each other around like blushing, laughing brides on a dance floor. The peal of those giggles was unmistakably clear, even as Metal ran by.

And when he passed by the training fields, he saw Hinata and Hanabi. Hanabi came at her from her right with an open-palmed strike, only to divert at the last moment and aim a sweeping kick at her legs instead. Hinata dodged, but only barely. Hinata’s counterstrike landed a clean hit, but when Hanabi lost, Hinata just complimented her form. She offered her sister a hand, and they smiled at each other.

In Ichiraku Ramen, there were Choji and Chocho, staring each other down and finishing off bowls of ramen, sitting next to already precariously tall stacks of empty bowls. It was another fight that Choji was definitely going to win, but Chocho was determined all the same, like she always was.

There was so much to think about with rivalries.

Rivalries where best friends just hung out together until a talk turned into an argument, and that turned into playing around. Rivalries where sisters honed the skills that they could really only perfect together. Rivalries where a father pushed his daughter to match him in his strongest point.

Rivalries like the one between Lee and Neji, where they loved each other so much that they were etched into each other’s hearts forever, even long after they couldn’t see each other anymore.

Metal’s smile shook nervously.

He wondered what sort of rivalry he could build with Houki.

As he ran out farther, the multi-lane streets narrowed to single asphalt road with rows of trees flanking either side. The air smelled different out here: cold and fresh, crisp and sharp. A stark contrast from the distinctly urban scents in the center of the village. Not an empty undeveloped part, but a part that was lived in and very much a work in progress.

And there he was, Houki Taketori, strolling along and muttering something pensively to himself. In his own little world as always.

“Houki!” Metal called, waving and running over to him with a huge grin.

Houki paused mid-step and blinked back into focus. “Hm? Metal? –Oh! Metal! Be my rival!” Yes, he was the same as ever.

His legs moved to walk again when suddenly a loud bang and snap rattled the streets. Metal craned his head up in response to the metallic creak, just in time to see a rope snap.

A massive metal beam dislodged from its joint, and before Metal could say anything else, it hurtled down towards—

“Houki! Up!”

Too slow to react, and too shocked to run, Houki just cowered and ducked, desperately covering his head with his arms as the beam came crashing down. Just from that reaction, Metal could guess Houki was probably from a civilian family.

“—Houki!” Metal lunged as fast as he could, his feet moving long before his brain could catch up.

Where would he try to move Houki? This was a sidewalk, flanked by a covered construction zone to his left and a road with traffic to his right. Was there even room? That beam looked so huge. Where would it fall exactly? There wasn’t any time.

Metal couldn’t figure out a single way this wouldn’t go horribly wrong for both of them. But his father’s words echoed in his mind.

_Just like Neji, be willing to give your all to try and live a life with no regrets!_

If Metal could become a man who his father would have as much pride in as Neji, then he’d do anything. And he’d start with this: protecting his rival. Even if he couldn’t do anything except this, Metal was going to do something. He wrapped his arms around the other boy and shielded him as well as he could. “I’ve got you!”

Before they had to see whether or not Metal’s steeled courage could stand up to a steel beam, Metal and Houki were both scooped up and pulled out of harm’s way by a force as fast and intense as a car.

Someone was cradling him and rubbing him on the back gently. An anxious nausea swept over him, and Metal clutched Houki even closer. Metal didn’t stop shivering until a pair of warm hands cupped his cheeks.

“Metal, are you alright?”

Metal jerked away at the touch, but it didn’t take him more than a second to recognize the hands, and he needed even less time to recognize the voice. He opened his eyes and was greeted by teeth flashing brightly in the setting sun, a dazzling smile that Metal had known since he was a baby. His eyes filled with tears of relief. “Guy-sensei!”

“Got ‘em, Guy?”

That was a voice Metal recognized too. He turned towards it and grinned, waves of relief and amazement making his voice shake all over again. “—Kakashi-sensei, too!”

Houki’s eye finally peeked open, and then widened in awe.

Kakashi grit his teeth; his muscles pulsated as he shoved his back against the metal beam to keep it up, together with two clones. Lightning coated their bodies, an electrical repulsive force that lessened the burden of keeping the metal beam up. Kakashi’s gloves stuck to his clammy hands as he squeezed his grip.

“Yep! We’re all safely out of harm’s way, Rival!”

Using his impressive upper body strength as an anchor, he and his clones gently shrugged the beam off of them and to the ground, setting it down harmlessly beside the construction site.

Houki’s mouth swung open in a wide gape, and he just stared in pure shock.

“Are you boys alright?” Guy asked. Dozens of construction workers flocked over, but it was hard to focus on all the technical jargon they were discussing with Kakashi and their distressed promises to quality-check better in the future.

Metal’s brain finally pieced together the events.

Kakashi had kept it from falling on them. And Guy had pulled them out of the way! All in the span of a second!

“Wow!” he cooed in awe, because Guy always managed to be even cooler every single time that Metal saw him. And then, a much quieter, more somber, “Wow…” because when that sunk in, the fact that Metal and Houki had almost died also sunk in. A cold shiver of dread ran down his spine, because what was he thinking? “W…wow…”

“Now, now, Metal. You’re alright. Everything’s fine. I’ve got you.” Guy’s kind voice calmed him down again. Lightly chiding, he added, “Kids should be more aware of their surroundings! Use this as a lesson going forward!”

“Maa…” Kakashi stretched and rubbed his own shoulders, seeming much more like an old man than he did a few seconds ago, when he was single-handedly holding up an immense metal beam. Apparently, he’d finished his discussions with the construction workers, and they had moved on to checking the rest of their ropes and securing the fallen metal beam. “You’re both just lucky that Guy’s still inhumanly fast.”

Metal climbed off of Guy’s lap and offered a hand to help Houki follow suit. Starstruck and a little dizzied, Houki somehow managed to accept the hand and more or less stumble to the ground. Metal kept him on his feet well enough.

“Ha!” Guy gave them both a thumbs up. His Nice Guy pose was always the best one. He really had perfected it. “No, they’re lucky that my rival boasts such impressive strength! I’m almost envious! If I was twenty years younger, I would have been the one holding that beam up in my arms, you know! Back then, I wouldn’t even break a sweat from holding up a little thing like that!” Big dramatic tears ran down his cheeks.

Kakashi rubbed his eyes and let out a quiet sigh. “Don’t be like that, Guy. You know I’m only this strong because you’ve been pushing me to get stronger for way longer than those twenty years.”

Guy bounced back fast; his tears had already vanished. “Well, if that’s the case, I’m only this fast because I’ve had practice chasing after you all these years!”

It sounded more like an argument than a compliment, and Kakashi and Metal both seemed to realize that at the same time. Metal’s dread had completely vanished as well, because now he was just barely holding back his giggles. Levity was another one of Guy’s skills.

“…Wait.” Kakashi fixed Guy with a half-lidded stare and arched eyebrows. “Are you trying to turn _this_ into a competition?”

“If I did,” Guy teased with a cheeky grin. “Which of us could get the point?”

Kakashi sighed again. Then straightened up, pretending to think about it. “Hmm…”

“Me, right? Since my quick reflexes got these two young leaves out of harm’s way and straight to safety!”

“Only after my quick thinking bought you enough time to do it. I think it’s my point.” He rolled his shoulders, and his stance relaxed a bit as he laughed. “And my prize should be a massage, my shoulders are killing me now.”

Guy rolled his eyes theatrically. “I’m not giving you the point, but I can give you that.”

“I guess that’s fair enough.” Kakashi lazily leaned against Guy. His head tilted until the weight of it dropped against Guy’s shoulder, making his wheelchair tip off of the ground. “I’m going to hold you to that. It’s another a self-rule for you to follow.”

Sometimes Kakashi could be a little clingy and pushy while they were babysitting Metal at their house, but he didn’t usually get that way in public when people were around. He watched as Kakashi wound his arms around Guy in an awkward hug and whispered something Metal couldn’t hear, and that was when Guy turned bright red and apparently decided that the public display of maybe-affection had become excessive.

Kakashi seemed to relent, straightening back up to grab the handles of Guy’s wheelchair. “Well, just keep a better eye on your surroundings, okay, kids? Always look up.” Kakashi advised with a wink. They seemed content with that, and he looked ready to head off.

“Ah! Um! Wait!” Metal shouted, a little louder than intended and before he had a proper question in mind. It got Kakashi and Guy’s attention, at least, since stopped mid-turn and looked back at him. “…Um! Do you think you’re so strong and brave because of your rivalry?” is what Metal finally said, utterly at a loss.

He knew Kakashi and Guy led each other well. Despite Kakashi’s half-serious jokes about his own initial reservations about forming a rivalry with Guy back when they were little, Metal knew that they liked each other a lot. If anyone was an expert on rivalry, it was these two.

Kakashi and Guy exchanged a glance.

“Maa… Maybe he’s had some effect on me. A little too much,” Kakashi answered with his best poker face.

“Oh, definitely! I’m the man I am today because I had Kakashi with me at my best moments and my worst moments! I love my eternal rival! There’s no question, he gives me strength! He ignites my youthful passion! Kakashi is one of the greatest treasures this life has given me—aside from you and your father, of course, Metal!” Guy answered, probably more honestly. “I’m happy to have him by my side. I’ve always been happy to have him there for me! He’s my inspiration and my dearest companion!”

Something blossomed across Kakashi’s face, and he squeezed the handles of Guy’s wheelchair. He was suddenly serious when he said, “Me, too. I wouldn’t be half the man I am today if I didn’t have him. He’s had my back through pretty rough times. It’s hard to forget how to laugh when you have this guy following you around. He’s always just been there.” Kakashi smiled, slowly, like the sun dawning from behind the clouds. “And I’m glad he was.”

Metal felt a tug at his heart as he watched Guy’s expression change. Everything about the way Kakashi and Guy interacted with each other felt so much heavier to Metal today. The ease of interaction between them was probably something that took years and years of rivalry for both of them to get this used to it.

So that sort of lifelong commitment was a rivalry, too…

Guy took control of his chair, wheeling away and bashfully trying to change the subject.

Metal and Houki stared at the retreating figures for a moment, until Houki finally rediscovered his own voice and stuttered out, “T-THANK Y-… thank you… Lord S-Sixth…!”

Metal would have thought he was too far away to hear it by then, but Kakashi paused and glanced back, and Metal could recognize a friendly smile in the crinkles around his eyes. It was only for a brief moment, and then Kakashi turned forward again and kept trailing after Guy.

“You know,” Metal barely heard, in Kakashi’s low, smooth tone, “Those two remind me of a couple of people…”

Guy laughed. “And who might that be?”

Their voices trailed off, and Metal glanced towards Houki. From the way Houki’s eyes sparkled and his cheeks reddened, Metal wondered if he could tell when Kakashi eye-smiled, too. “Th… That was… That was Lord Sixth… The real-life Lord Sixth in the flesh…”

Metal smiled the smallest, straining smile.

So, this was his rival.

“…Oh! Um! We should go somewhere safer! And find somewhere for you to sit, I think!”_ Before you faint and hit your head on the concrete sidewalk, and then all those heroics would have been for nothing_—Honestly, it was partially for Metal too, because he could still hardly feel his legs from all that terror.

Houki was mostly unresponsively, but he was easy to lead along the path, numbly following behind Metal and staring off into the distance in the direction where Kakashi and Guy had gone. Metal eventually managed to lead him to a park where he could guide Houki down onto a bench.

“That was… Lord Sixth…” Houki stuttered for a second before another dreamy smile spread across his face. “Lord Sixth saved my life.” Houki flopped against the back of the bench dramatically, and Metal sighed in relief that he had waited until he was sitting down before being _that_ dramatic.

Then, finally processing Houki’s words, Metal pouted and glared at the other boy. When that failed to get a proper reaction, he folded his arms over his chest and turned away showily. “Kakashi-sensei _and Guy-sensei_ saved both of us!” he corrected indignantly.

It still didn’t seem like Houki heard a word of that. He was too busy practically dancing with glee, kicking his legs in the air and hopping up and down in his seat. “Lord Sixth! Lord Sixth! That was the real! Live! Lord! Sixth!” He bounced so much that the mask around his face loosened and fell around his neck slackly, and his headband was displaced into his messy brown hair.

Now that his face was finally revealed, Metal belatedly realized that this was just a normal kid, not a terrifying monster or a relentless force of nature. Big, soft blue eyes, white teeth, round face… He was definitely human, at least.

Metal was able to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that this boy probably wasn’t secretly hiding shark teeth or a rinnegan under there.

“Um…” He hummed shyly while Houki fixed his attire. He pulled the mask back up to his nose and removed the headband entirely, sticking it in his pocket. Maybe he decided he’d need both eyes to keep an eye out for danger now, at least until he became a genin and got a real headband to play with. “Why’d you choose me?” Metal finally asked.

Blurry aquamarine hues blinked up at him, as Metal tried to reconcile the mental image of Houki as a curious little kid a little smaller than Metal with the one he’d been expecting, a pushy, scary masked shinobi hunting him down at every corner. He was still so intense, that for a second, Metal had an urge to back away and make space for Houki.

But this wasn’t about giving up, it was about growing up together as rivals, whatever that would mean.

He cleared his throat and tried again.

“W-well… That’s…” Metal blushed, fixing his hair to give his anxious hands something to do. “Why do you want _me_ to be your rival? Me, specifically. You’re really, um… determined.” He tried to smile coolly to hide his nervousness.

Houki leaned in close again and cuffed a hand over his mouth. “Actually,” a whisper-shout, “I read an article about Lord Sixth –my hero and role model and the coolest ninja ever—!”

That… explained the mask and the headband thing, at least. Metal mentally kicked himself for not making that connection sooner.

“Lord Sixth had a rival with a bowl-cut who wore a green jumpsuit! Not only that, that rival was always bothering him and made him do the rivalry, but in some interviews, he said that he was really happy about it! He said it made him stronger…! I want to be like Lord Sixth! And I want to be strong! As soon as I saw you, I knew you were perfect for the role of my rival! More perfect for it than anyone I’ve ever seen before!”

“Oh,” Metal’s voice was so quiet, Houki would have nearly missed it from his rambling. “So that’s your dream. You want to be just like your hero…”

“S—Sorry!” Houki cast his gaze down towards the ground, and he fixed his mask back into place bashfully. “It sounds more selfish than I thought it did, now that I said it out loud…”

Metal shook his head vigorously, “No, not at all!” He lit up with the same fire that consumed him when he was pushing himself to match his father in training. “In fact, I think it’s amazing! It’s good to be motivated!”

Houki’s eyes flickered back to Metal’s, hopeful but scared. “Really?”

Suddenly, Metal couldn’t remember why he’d been so scared of this boy in the first place. It was weird. The attention that had made him so uncomfortable before was now causing a strange warmth in his heart.

Metal nodded again. “Really. I understand. I have heroes that I try my hardest to be like, too! Like my papa. And like Guy-sensei… And Kakashi-sensei’s cool, too, I guess, sometimes,” he added weakly. He cleared his throat and continued, “I think your dream is a noble dream! A wonderful dream! And as long as you’re serious about it, then a rivalry is… it’ll help us both…! I mean… I guess, what I’m saying is… Uhm…” Metal fidgeted. “Lately, I’ve noticed that I’ve been a lot more motivated, and I’m faster than ever now, and I just realized that it’s probably thanks to you…”

“Wait, what? Really?”

Metal felt a twinge of nervousness, but kept his eyes on Houki, who didn’t seem to be getting it at all. “Are you really okay with me?”

“I’m not just okay with you!” Houki answered. “It _has_ to be you!”

“In… in that case!” Metal puffed out his chest, “F-fight me, Houki Taketori!”

Houki’s answer was a gasp of surprise. He was really getting a rival. His own rival. His efforts were finally bearing fruit! He tried not to look too giddy and childish, a thin eyebrow raising as his throat cleared and he finally gave Metal his answer: “No.”

There was a beat of silence. Houki’s eyes scanned across Metal’s face, and Metal’s eyes stretching wide with bewilderment over the frankness of that answer. “…W-” Metal blinked, head tilting to one side. “What…? No? But you—”

“You have to ask me again,” Houki explained. “Lord Sixth’s rival had to be really persistent before he agreed! I read that, too.” He really was determined to do this just right.

It occurred to Metal, on somewhat of a delay, that Houki was already “challenging” him. This was the first test of their rivalry. Metal tried very hard not to have second thoughts about this whole thing. “Um, okay… Houki, I challenge you?”

“No.”

“Fight me, Houki!”

“Nope.”

Metal’s face fell and his eyebrows scrunched together. “Um… Hey, just how many times do I have to ask you?”

Houki laughed, and it was so infectious that Metal’s mouth pulled into a smile. “Don’t give up now, Metal!”

With a grin and a nod, Metal tried, again and again and again.

“Fight me, Houki!”


End file.
